How to Install The CoolRVToyz Ultimate RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory on DeLorme Street Atlas

In order to use the CoolRVToyz Ultimate RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory with DeLorme Street Atlas, you will need to install the list into Street Atlas either as a set of Draw Layers or as Datasets. Which you choose depends of your version of Street Atlas. Either way, this is a simple process and will only take a few moments. Please follow the steps below to install the list and begin enjoying this product.

If you have Street Atlas Plus 2008 Pro or above, then we recommend using the XData Dataset procedure. It provides you with the best information and flexibility. If you have an older version, or a non-Plus version that can’t import XData Datasets, then you will need to either import the Draw layer (AN1) files or import the data from the Comma-Separated-Value (CSV) files.

When you installed the RV Parks & Campgrounds list, the installer created a series of folders on your C: drive. These are all in a folder named C:\CoolRVToyz\Street Atlas\RV Parks & Campgrounds. There is a folder for the XData Dataset files, one for the Draw Layer Files and one for the Comma-Separated-Value files.

Adding the XData Dataset files (Preferred Method)

* Please note: These instructions are based on, and use DeLorme Street Atlas 2008. Earlier versions that can accommodate XData Datasets will work as well, but the import procedure may vary. Please see your DeLorme documentation.

1. When you installed the list to your computer, the installer created a folder on your hard drive at C:\CoolRVToyz\Street Atlas\RV Parks & Campgrounds\XData Files. This is where you’ll find the file you will need to import into Street Atlas.
2. Start Street Atlas.
3. Click the Map Files tab to the far left of the screen just below the map. This will allow you to select XData Datasets, Route Files, Draw Files, etc.

   

4. Click the Add button to the far right of the lower data area. From the small popup menu that appears, click XData Datasets. The following dialog box will appear.

   

5. Using the Navigator at the top of the dialog, locate the
   C:\CoolRVToyz\Street Atlas\RV Parks & Campgrounds\XData Filesfolder and select it.

   

6. You should then see the 12 XData Dataset files that were installed on your computer. Select 1 of them and click the Add button to add the Dataset into your Street Atlas. Once you do, you should see the Dataset in your Map Files display area. Make sure there is a check mark in the box to its left.

   

7. By repeating steps 4 through 6 above for additional XData Datasets, you can load as many of the list categories as you want. You can select more than 1 at a time by holding down the Cntrl key and clicking multiple Dataset files. Once they’re all loaded you can see them in your Map Files area.

   

8. Now, if you zoom your map back to the entire US & Canada region, you’ll see all the parks on your map. You can then save this map and reload it any time you want to use the RV Parks & Campgrounds list, or you can start with a clean map and simply repeat the Data Import each time

   

A Few Tips and Tricks With XData Datasets
A complete tutorial on how to use your DeLorme Street Atlas is well beyond the scope of this document. Please consult your Street Atlas documentation for more information. We can however, offer a few tips to make your mapping experience a bit easier.

1. If you loaded all the lists like we did in the example, you’ve virtually swamped the US and Canada with map symbols. Even at zoomed-in levels, the sheer number of symbols can be distracting. By simply unchecking certain categories in your Map Files area you can “turn off” that category temporarily. That should make your map a bit easier to read.
2. You can see all the information about a POI by right-clicking it and selecting Info at the bottom of the popup menu. This will switch your Map Files area to the Info tab and display a considerable amount of information about that area of the map. If you successfully right-clicked on a symbol from the CoolRVToyz list, you should see a line with a plus to its left that shows you the list category that POI came from. If you click the plus it will open up and show you all the information in the Dataset for that POI. In the example below, we right-clicked the Lake Shetek State Campground in Currie MN. You can see the information the Dataset contains.
   Note also that this campground also has a URL in the database. You cal click that URL and go directly to their website. You can also get to their website directly from the map by hovering your mouse over their symbol on the map until the internet finger appears, then clicking it.

   

Adding the Data Files as Draw Layer (.an1) Files

We have packaged a set of Draw Layer (.an1) files all ready to go. All you need to do is add them into your Street Atlas. These were produced with Street Atlas 2008, so they should work with 2008 and later versions without problems. If you have an older version of Street Atlas and experience problems with these files, you can always use the next method down to import the Text files as Draw Layer files.

• Start Street Atlas
• Select The Map tab at the far left of the bottom navigation pane and select the Draw Files menu item.

  

• Click the Add button to the right of the Navigation pane and select Draw File from the popup menu. Navigate to C:\CoolRVToyz\Street Atlas\RV Parks & Campgrounds\Draw Files folder and select a Draw Layer file to add. It may be necessary to change your Files of type … setting to Draw File (*.an1)… in order to see the files in the add dialog.

  

• Select the Draw Layer file you wish to add and press the Add button. This Draw Layer file will now be included in your map.

  

• Repeat this process for as many of the Draw Layer files you want to add into your map. Don’t worry about getting your map to cluttered. Street Atlas allows you to check and uncheck Draw Layers to see only what you want to see on the map.

 

Adding the Data Files as Draw Layer Files By Importing the .CSV Files

If your version of Street Atlas can’t consume XData Datasets, and you have troubles using the provided Draw Layer (.an1) files, you can add the POIs in by using the Import function on the Draw Tab of the lower data area. You’ll need to use this method if your lower data area does not have an XData tab as seen in the examples above, or if you don’t see XData Datasets as one of your Map Files options as in the example below. You may also need to do this if you are using an older version of Street Atlas.

1. Start by clicking the Draw Tab in the lower data area. If your lower data area looks like the example below…

   

   Click the File … button on the left side. If your lower data area already looks like this example below, you’re ready to go.

   

2. To import the text files as Draw Layer files, click the Import… button on the right side of the lower data area. This will bring up the Import Draw File dialog:

   

3. Find the Street Atlas text files that were installed on your hard drive. They are located in C:\CoolRVToyz\Street Atlas\RV Parks & Campgrounds\Text Files. Select that folder and make sure the Files of type: box reads Text File (*.txt). If it doesn’t, click the dropdown arrow next to it and select Text File (*.txt) from the list.

   

4. There are 29 categorized Draw Files. The names should be intuitive as to what is in them. If you want to display everything on the map, you’ll need to repeat these steps for each file. You can load as many or as few as you want. If you load them all your map will be quite cluttered since there are over 50,000 entries in the entire list. That’s okay however because you’ll be able to selectively disable them for display as nneded.

   Select one of the Draw Files and click OK.

   
   

5. After a little work that file will now be imported to your map and you’ll be able to see all the waypoints for those POIs. You can see the map already looks a bit cluttered when zoomed out to see the entire USA.

   

   If you zoom into a smaller area however, the POI’s become more readable and distinct.

   

6. You can now repeat steps 2 through 5 for as many of the categorized files as you want. If you load them all, they’ll look similar to the following example.

   

You’re ready to go.

A Few Tips and Tricks With Draw Files
Like using XData Datasets, a complete tutorial on how to use your DeLorme Street Atlas is well beyond the scope of this document. Please consult your Street Atlas documentation for more information. We can however, offer a few tips to make your mapping experience a bit easier.

1. If you loaded all the Draw Files like we did in the example, you’ve virtually swamped the US and Canada with map symbols. Even at zoomed-in levels, the sheer number of symbols can be distracting. By simply unchecking certain categories in your Map Files area you can “turn off” that category temporarily. That should make your map a bit easier to read.
2. You can see all the information about a POI by right-clicking it and selecting Info at the bottom of the popup menu. This will switch your Map Files area to the Info tab and display a considerable amount of information about that area of the map. This is similar to the information you’d see if you loaded the XData Dataset, but contains far less information. XData Datasets are capable of holding a vast amount of information where Draw Files are very limited. This is a main reason we highly recommend upgrading to Street Atlas Plus 2008.
3. Notice some of the parks have hyperlinks on the map? You can click that link and display the POI’s web page if you’re currently connected to the internet.
4. Save your Draw Files. You do this by highlighting each one and clicking the Save… button on the right side of the lower data area. This way you won’t need to import them each time. Make a note of the Directory Column each Draw file is in. This is shown on the Files List of the Draw Tab. Normally, Draw files are saved in your C:\DeLorme Docs\Draw folder. When you need to reload one or more of them, all you need to do, instead of following the import procedure above, is select the Map Files Tab, select the Add… button on the right side, select Draw Files from the popup menu, and navigate to your C:\DeLorme Docs\Draw folder. You should see all the imported draw files there with an AN1 file extension. You can highlight one or more of these files (using Cntrl-click) and press Load to load them back in quickly.

Making your own XData Datasets
If you’ve read this entire document, you may have noticed the XData Datasets don’t display the Park Name on the map like you see if you load the Draw Files. This is because we didn’t construct them too. Draw Files display the name by default, but XData Datasets let you decide what, if anything, gets displayed on the map next to the symbol. To keep the map clutter to a minimum, we decided to display nothing next to the symbol.
You may want to change that. When you installed the RV Parks & Campgrounds List to your computer, we installed a set of “generic” comma-separated-value (CSV) files that you can use to make your own XData Datasets. They are in the C:\CoolRVToyz\Generic\RV Parks & Campgrounds\CSV Files folder.
Complete instructions on importing CSV files into XData Datasets can be found in your Street Atlas documentation. It is similar to importing Draw Files, but allows you to pick and choose which data columns get imported and which don’t, as well as select one of those columns to be displayed on the map next to the symbol.